Working for Flying Colors/Moss Sports for over a decade I was involved in the design and redesign of the field level and fascia designs for the Allstate Sugar Bowl which has added to the success on ESPN.

Allstate Sugar Bowl Is Most Watched Cable Program EverSunday, January 4, 2015

The 81st edition of the Allstate Sugar Bowl, which doubled as a College Football Playoff Semifinal on Jan. 1, was the most watched program in cable television history. The game, which saw Ohio State defeat Alabama, 42-35, on ESPN, delivered a 15.2 rating, averaging 28,271,000 viewers.

This year's game was the highest-rated Sugar Bowl since the 2000 contest when Florida State held off a furious charge by Michael Vick and Virginia Tech to capture the BCS National Championship. That game, broadcast by ABC, garnered a 17.5 rating.

The other half of ESPN's inaugural College Football Playoff Semifinal doubleheader, the Rose Bowl Game Presented by Northwestern Mutual, also delivered tremendous numbers. Despite being a lopsided 59-20 win for Oregon over Florida State, the game posted a 14.8 rating with an average of 28,164,000 viewers.

"These record-setting numbers illustrate the enormous fan interest in college football and the wide-ranging appeal of the new College Football Playoff format," said John Wildhack, ESPN executive vice president, programming and production. "We are excited to build upon this success when we showcase the first-ever College Football Playoff National Championship on ESPN on January 12."

Both games generated significant increases over the ESPN bowl games in the respective January 1 time slots a year ago: a 51 percent increase in viewership for the Rose Bowl Game (vs. 18,636,000) and 150 percent increase for the Sugar Bowl (vs. 11,304,000). The ratings rose 45 percent (from 10.2) and 130 percent (from 6.6), respectively.